With All My Heart
by Two Leaf Clover
Summary: When Esashi Fuyuko, another first year in Seirin High, begins taking the reigns to try minimizing the injuries in athletics clubs, Kagami Taiga meets the match for his reckless and hot-blooded tendencies. Will she and his own body pose an obstacle on the path to his dreams, or will she see that there are some things that must be approached with the heart, rather than the mind?
1. Chapter 1: Prologue - The Demands

She could remember standing at the assembly, not but a couple of days into the new school year.

Everything was ordinary, or rather, orderly: just as it should have been. Everyone took their places to prepare for the next steps of the day, they were greeted with the loud and ridiculous shouts of some strange students on the rooftop; apparently, they were the basketball team - not that anyone really even recognized that Seirin had one to begin with.

Something about a girlfriend, two somethings about being the best, and if she remembered correctly, there was even a 'something' about one guy's whole life story.

To think... one of them had the nerve to leap up on the roof's perimeter fencing.

Now just what was he thinking?

What would have happened to him if he had slipped or suddenly become clumsy, lost balance, and fallen from there and down all that way to the ground?

If she were being honest, recalling that moment came more so with an unparalleled level of stress and rush that washed over. She was just a first year, so she couldn't tell the returning students what they could or couldn't do, but taking over the role that she had begun to assume for her studies, she could at least make her personal preferences known.

That was exactly what she intended.

At that very moment the girl leaned against the door frame leading to the gym, spinning a pen through her fingers whilst observing a small notebook she had put together. Her initial demeanor possibly off-put some students passing by, the purposeful straightening of her body and angle of her face giving a strong vibe of no-nonsense. If that weren't enough, the way her dark, faded raspberry-pink colored eyes focused solely on the pages before her, admittedly with a concentrating glare, was probably the kicker.

Now she was no hostile type, despite how her natural countenance said otherwise, and she didn't want to cause any trouble, but she wanted to make some things known. All she needed to do that was to see one person...

"Hm?"

At the curious hum, the girl's eyes rose, her intimidatingly cold eyes seeming to somewhat startle the bespectacled male before her.

"Ah, sorry," He quickly began by clarifying. The way his expression softened came off more of a precaution, an assumed attempt at trying to likewise assure the girl that he meant no harm by approaching her; judging by his plain casual clothes, she could likewise assume that was one of the players. "Did you need something?"

To the hospitality, the girl's expression unexpectedly warmed. The corners of her lips slowly raised into a sweet -but faint-, smile, "Yes, sorry if I'm interrupting." She took a quick glance to her notebook before easing it into her bag, "I was wondering if Aida Riko was here yet?"

He stared for a moment, clearly trying to make sense of the request, but with nothing else to go on, he nodded, "Mm. Give me a second, and I'll get her for you."

Smiling once more, the girl adjusted her bag strap, nodding firmly, "Thank you." She stayed in place, staying idle as she waited. In the meantime, curiosity getting the best of her, she took a gander at the inside of the gym, seeing some of the other members mingling pre-practice and getting some stretches in. Very few of them she recognized from the roof, so she assumed the lot of them were first years encouraged to do that as some sort of initiation for the club.

_'That one...' _She decided after some pondering, her eyes fixating on a very familiarly reckless redheaded. That was the one that leaped haphazardly onto the railing. Her brows furrowed disdainfully, even if she tried to mask it for the most part.

"Riko," The messenger approached, thumbing back over to the door, "there's a girl here to see you?" Even with all the thinking it over while on the way over, he still couldn't really place what the reasoning could be, but he figured that if he didn't know that he simply wasn't meant to. It could have very easily been a personal situation, or... something - though he hadn't recalled seeing the girl before, which was what was the thing really interesting him.

"Hm?" Riko perked up, "who is it?" She wasn't expecting anyone, or at least she didn't think so.

"She didn't say," He folded his arms, "and I didn't recognize her." He tipped his head whilst watching the young coach leaning carefully over to try catching a glimpse of the figure in the doorway. Needless to say her response wasn't what he was expecting.

"Shit." A groan escaped her lips as she set her hand upon her hip.

"Eh?" As the dark haired player opened his mouth to ask, Riko merely rubbed stressfully at her temples and continued around the corner. "Don't worry about it." Regardless of what her mouth said, her face gave a completely different message.

Either way, she approached the girl in the door way, forcing a smile on as she approached and feigned ignorance, "Hi." She hooked her clipboard under her arm, other hand locked habitually over the whistle that dangled around her neck. "I was told that you needed me for something?" She kept her tone soft and borderline sugary.

The girl against the door frame stepped away from it to stand up properly and straight, tearing her gaze away from the redhead to look at the approaching team coach. "Yes, thank you for letting me take your time." She lifted her hand, settling her hand gently against her upper chest. "I'm Esashi Fuyuko, and you're Aida Riko, aren't you?" Her gaze was betrayingly tender at this moment, her gesture from her chest to motion to Riko at the mention of her name likewise inviting.

"Yeah," Riko quickly yet hesitantly responded. In truth, she already knew a few tidbits about this Esashi girl; it wasn't much, but she was well-informed that this girl would be working very closely with the nurse for the school year. What this meant for the team, she had no idea, but the few times she had seen her, she was carrying a pretty harsh air, so it couldn't have been good.

Esashi nodded firmly, raising her hand to brush the long locks of her brown, face-framing bangs from her face and behind her ear. "I'm going to be doing a lot of assisting in the school infirmary this year. I believe that reaching out to many of the physical or athletic clubs in the school would be a good step."

"Right," Riko swiftly replied once more, nodding in agreement, "just in case anything happens. I can see that." That's all that she wanted? _'This isn't nearly as bad as I expected it would be...' _

"Exactly right," Esashi added. "That being said, I think there are ways we can make this partnership much more fruitful."

"E-eh?"

Sparing not a moment within Riko's apparent confusion, the girl offered another sentiment directly after the first, "I've seen this club's record, Aida-san. I'm only a first year, of course, so I don't mean to step on any toes, but I think it is more than fair for me to ask you to be particularly watchful of injuries on the court."

Riko's look quickly altered, from the initial spell of anger, to a softer expression to mask the first. Despite the smile that she forced onto her lips, it was easy to see the way her brow twitched from sheer aggravation. Was it wrong of her to get offended by that? In any case, spouting off of the mouth wouldn't be beneficial to anyone. "I'm always careful," She offered kindly through the underlying tones of bitterness, "but some circumstances are, for lack of a better word... hard to control."

_'Hard to control...' _Esashi thought aloud, her eyes shifting to a less enthused mood to match the changing tone of the conversation. It appeared she no longer cared for keeping up appearances. Her face became more slated and bemused. _'It sounds like an excuse to me.' _She brushed away her own opinion on the matter. "Well, if that's the case, then I think it's good that I'm reminding you and your players that you don't have to avoid the nurse for care if those circumstances happen to show themselves, hm?"

Even if the attempts at staying civil were strong amidst the two, it was undeniable that tension was playing just as heavy a role.

The edge in Riko's eyes was no longer able to be smothered by the artificial charm she poured into it. Even her smile, which had been struggling to be upheld through this most mixed bag encounter had fallen, near-baring her teeth that she clenched roughly together. "Exactly right," She inadvertently growled out, mimicking Esashi's own previous response.

"Good." The deep-pink eyed girl smiled warmly once more, at this point a display that came off more like adding insult to injury. She gripped the strap of her brown shoulder-bag, stepping back and away, "I'm glad we can look forward to working together this year. Have a great season."

"Thanks." Riko watched on as the girl strode on, growling momentarily under her breath. Clenching her fists, she turned briskly away, heaving a disgruntled sigh. "No good," She huffed, "just like I thought."

"It's always a pain having to be the bad guy," Esashi murmured to herself under her breath. She stared ahead to the edge of the hallway, only diverting her attention away to peer out of one of the many windows lining it. "But I guess someone has to speak on this. They'll thank me in the long run, when they aren't complaining about bad knees as college students."

**A/N: I see this more as a prologue than an actual first chapter, just to give a bit of background to the story. All important information is going to be explained regarding Esashi, so no worries, but I think this was a neat little first look into things. **

***In case you haven't read any of my other stories (i really need to add this info to my profile), I add all of the OCs from my other canon x oc challenge stories to the same continuity, so you may see some OCs floating around this that will have development in their own stories. **

**I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I kind of liked writing it, and I didn't initially expect for Riko and Esashi to have this kind of inadvertent problem with each other, but I think it's pretty good. It felt very natural to write. They both have very strong personalities, but one of them has the mind of an athlete, and the other has the mind of a logical medic. The clash was pretty inevitable from that standpoint, but I think it'll be alright LOL. **

_**Thank you for reading!**_


	2. Chapter 2: Exasperation - Coming Season

"Whew." Class for some reason seemed particularly tiring that day. She couldn't place why, exactly, since nothing out of the ordinary influenced the day; studying, listening, and note-taking, which was just the standard of a school day.

_'Sometimes I think being tired like this is like an omen.' _She contemplated. _'As if my body's getting exhausted just thinking about getting prepared for the next problem.' _It was a fair point, she assumed. After all, the last time she could recall it happening was that one day before school when that admittedly strange boy came sneaking in on her.

Esashi took a seat at the nurse's desk -the space she was allowed to occupy so long as the nurse had nothing important to look into-, and began unloading her belongings, all while thinking on that boy.

_That morning, she had arrive to school early, as she did on occasion, and entered into the infirmary early. _

_She had a special place in her heart for mornings like these, when it was quiet and the consistent idle chatter and bustling of the hallways -only complemented by the sound of opening and closing lockers- hadn't yet become a problem. Days like this, she could sit with her planner and figure everything out for the day, all while having a pleasant sip of tea and watching the clouds go by from the window. _

_A time to relax before class, and when work hardly felt so much like work. _

_"Hmm..." She hummed softly to herself, settling her chin carefully in her palm whilst skimming the note-scribbled pages and chaotic-order of the small book. 'Should nothing stop me after class, I should be free to check on the rugby team. The number of injuries in that club never ceases to baffle me...' Last time she recalled, it was like watching a seven car pile-up. _

_The basketball team, as far as she was concerned, wasn't giving her any issues. She could see the way their coach passed her attentive, if not somewhat questionably passive-aggressive glances, but that was about it. _

_Quickly flipping a few pages, she began searching the dates, 'That's right, they haven't even started yet, have they? They're still in practice matches right now...' A subtle sigh escaped her lips. As she eased around in the swiveling stool, she caught herself murmuring aloud, "That's one less thing for me to worry about right now th-" _

_"I'm sorry, but excuse me." _

_"KEH!" Esashi jolted back, her back luckily catching the edge of the desk to keep her from falling clean from the cushion, though a little extra jerk and teeter was required to keep her tea from spilling out of the cup. Her raspberry eyes stayed wide and fixated on the legs of this boy for a short time. 'How long... was he...' _

_Painfully slow and reluctant, her gaze began to raise, finding the large and unfamiliar eyes of the boy, '...how long has he been standing there..?' _

_"Did... you need something..?" She inquired hesitantly, still a tad stirred from the surprise. Her body eased up to correct her posture, and shifting her cup to her left hand, she set it down to be able to fully adjust her sitting position to something more normal and comfortable. _

_"Yes." He put simply, gripping his bag strap with one hand as his other hand released to comb through the bangs of his hair. Brushing them out of the way, he revealed a sizable mark. It seemed anything but fresh, the wound having appeared to have closed a while ago, and no visible redness. By the looks of the slight swelling around it, however, it could be assumed that even if it didn't happen that day, it was still recent. "I managed to get hurt in a practice match against Kaijo yesterday." _

_Esashi bat her eyes for a moment, fully assessing the wound through the careful observation of someone that had clearly done this before. "Well..." She trailed quietly to herself, "There doesn't appear to be any bleeding or anything that requires any direct attention - but it seems like it was a nasty hit. Was the player penalized?" _

_The light-eyed boy shook his head, expression never changing in reply, "It was only an accident." _

_"Well, if it's giving you any more complications, it's outside of my jurisdiction to handle anything beyond first aid." Scooping her planner into her hand, and flicking her pen into the proper grasp from locked between her fingers, she looked up to meet his gaze momentarily, "I could contact the nurse for you, if you'd like?"_

_"No, that isn't it." He clarified, "The coach insisted that I tell you what happened, just so that you can be made aware." He decided to leave out the bits about Riko also saying things like 'if we don't tell her, and she finds out, she'll be on our case', or 'you go tell her! She might take it easy on you since you're injured'. _

_"Hm?" Esashi furrowed a brow. She couldn't say she knew every coach she had spoken to. Many of them were adults, and some of the student coaches were quite responsible. More certain, she didn't recognize this boy from anywhere. "May I ask which team?" _

_"Seirin's basketball team..." _

_Her eyes narrowed, brows knit contemplatively. 'I've been to the gym to check on them on a few separate occasions... I don't remember seeing him there...' She flipped to the back of her planner, writing in a scribble and keeping composure whilst inquiring, "And your name?" _

_"Kuroko Tetsuya." _

_"Injury type?" _

_"I was only hit with the open hand. It was an accidental hit - a collision, sort of..." _

_Her eyes widened, if not only to herself, and hidden behind the cover of her brown bangs, 'Just an open hand..?' Her lips twisted thoughtfully, canine lightly digging into the bottom one, 'Either very fragile or not completely truthful, but I've seen it all. Who's to say...' She looked up, offering a slight smile to maintain friendliness as her hand shut the cover on the book she marked with her forearm, "Thank you for letting me know." _

_He nodded once, and briefly, likewise returning a perhaps even fainter smile in reply - one that was hardly there. "You're welcome."_

_'So that coach is taking me seriously after all... I can't say I'm not surprised, but I'm grateful.' She uttered an airy breath, shutting one eye as her free hand brushed through her hair from the side, pushing straight through to the ends of her strands, 'Still...' _

_She took up her cup in the same hand, bringing the steaming beverage to her lips, "How can a team be suffering injury already..? The season hasn't even started, and mistakes like this are already happening..." _

_"Excuse me again, sorry." _

_"KHHGGHH..." Her face reddened considerably, steam pouring from her mouth in the midst of fanning her burning tongue. "Gh!" Haphazardly shifting her book and pen to the desk along with her cup -again-, she turned back, still brushing away bits and beads of the tea with her gently coiled fist. "Yes..?" She questioned with a touch of exasperation, 'You're still here? I'd forgotten about him completely, that fast!' _

_"Are you-"_

_"I'm fine. Don't worry." She immediately supplied, sitting up and finding subconscious comfort in licking her scorched lip, "You were saying?" _

_Kuroko kept his gaze fixated, intent and despite seemingly unchanged from before, something about his expression felt more engaged, "May I ask... what do you think about team injuries?" _

_"...In what context..?" Her eyes narrowed with uncertainty, feeling the question incomplete or searching for something, "I think they're terrible, of course. It's always unfortunate when someone gets hurt, even more so in a kind of athletic club." _

_He appeared dissatisfied, instead insisting on reaching to solidify the kind of question he really desired an answer to, "I meant... What do you think about the causes behind them?" _

_Esashi crossed one leg over the other, meeting his eye contact and finding no further context for the bizarre matter at hand. Silence remained for a brief moment, each of the two appearing to study one another for a time before she finally began to respond. "I think athletic injuries can come from a variety of things - but to me, most of them fall to purposeful things: underhanded players, carelessness, recklessness, negligence on behalf of the ones in charge, or the direct opposite - pushing someone too hard." _

_She crossed her arms across her chest, looking down as if searching for a deeper response to explain herself. "Athletics and athletes as a whole require a lot of attention, because the sport they play is already demanding. Just by signing up, they're putting themselves in harm's way, and the chance of injury is moderate. Preventative measures and attentiveness can reduce those chances, but not everyone is as careful or watchful as they should be." _

_The last part was found restricted to her mind, asserting her personal ambition, 'That's why I'm taking care to make them be attentive. A doctor would do no less, right?' _

_Basking in the silence for as long as she did, she awaited his reply on the matter. _

_Waiting..._

_Waiting..._

_She picked her head up and looked ahead, "Where did he go!?" She bounded up out of her chair, partially out of surprise, and the other bit out of a mild rage. "How could he just ask me a question that way, then leave before he even got an answer..." _

Just remembering that ordeal forced a sigh out of her. "Was it just him giving me some food for thought..? She thought aloud, "Or was he toying with me somehow..?" Neither possibility was particularly satisfying for her, but she could at least forgive the first more than the latter.

Her chin plopped in her hand, eyes closing momentarily. _'Thinking back to it just zapped my momentum...' _

As she sat there, gathering her mental strength again, her calming process was disrupted by the firm hollow of a few successive knocks.

"Hm?" She peered over her shoulder and immediately thereafter began to swivel around to face the door.

"Yo," the redhead at the door casually addressed. He had both hands driven into his pockets, a hardly noticeable hunch in his shoulders, and the way his head tipped down at her with that wholely disinterested look drove home a countenance of arrogance.

Her eyes widened first, then briskly narrowed. That was the one she remembered, the one that had gotten height happy up on the roof that morning.

"Hel-" Though she aimed to say 'hello', the way he advanced severed her words. Both times having seen him, it had been from a distance, doing nothing for the height that he showed off at that moment. His legs were long, his torso the same, and from her sitting position, she had to tilt her head all the way back just to try meeting his eyes. An unsteady bead of sweat dripped down her cheek, though slight disdain bypassing her discomfort, she completed her intended sentiment. "Hello... Did you need something?"

"Yeah," he seemed less than pleased about it and responded bluntly and lazily. His words lacked any sort of grace and the way he spoke was too coarse, especially compared to the incredibly polite boy she had been thinking of from before. He stepped back, kicking his leg up on the edge of the infirmary's patient bed and hiking up his pant leg, "Coach said I gotta check out this leg with you."

Esashi's brow twitched her lips likewise squirming to try straying from their current expression and into a frown, "...Does it hurt?"

"No?"

Planner in hand, she immediately slapped the top of his knee with it, "Then get it off of there! That's where students sit and lay!"

"What the hell!?" He immediately shot, eyes growing just as wide and white while removing it near-instantly from the spot as requested, "Well how was I supposed to know!?"

"It's common courtesy." She huffed, cracking open the planner to the same page where she had recorded the data regarding that Kuroko Tetsuya boy, "Name and problem?"

He stubbornly held his silence for a short time before letting loose a purposely loud, exasperated nasal exhale, "...Kagami Taiga." He folded his arms, watching her blandly as if he waiting for her to finish writing, only to grow more irritable when her pen stopped and he recognized her watching him impatiently. "There _is _no problem as far as I know," He shot, "I played damn good. I jumped pretty high, she said, thinks I should get your opinion before I go too far in practice." One could practically hear him _verbally_ rolling his eyes with the tail-end that statement.

"Right. I can understand why. You should always get looked at just in case if you it's suspected you could have nearly overexerted yourself." She lifted his pants legs, folding and creasing them just under the knee.

"Well, there's no initial pain..." She gently placed her hand against his calf, then the other, carefully assessing them from ankle to knee, "And no swelling..." She looked up, applying a bit more pressure, "Any pain from touch?"

"No," He loosed through an impatient mutter, arms still casually crossed.

A tick of irritation crossed her face before she quickly pushed it back, "No soreness when walking, performing tasks or using them? No restrictions or pulling feelings?"

"No," He replied again, just as slate and bemused. He seemed to be quirking a brow, a glazed look in his eye and a bounce in his heel that told the story of him being antsy.

_'You're being checked out for an injury, maybe you shouldn't be so restless.' _She pulled back, freeing the cuffs she'd created of his pants to let them fall. _'Otherwise I start to feel like I can't trust your responses... He'd probably say anything to get back to practicing.' _She would be more intensive, but what he was saying checked out with what she felt. Regardless, something about his demeanor was rubbing her the wrong way.

"You done?" He checked his leg, shaking the fabric of the pants into place on his shoe, then looking to her blandly for her consultation.

"It's Kagami..." She murmured mainly to herself, checking her book for confirmation, "Right." Her eyes appeared stern, their warm yet pale hue disclosing her aggravation in the current scenario. Still, there was a chance he wasn't self-aware. _'The least I can do is send him with some advice.' _

Leaning back, she crossed her leg over the other again, lifting her head to meet his eyes, "You strike me as the reckless the type, and I don't doubt that first impression for a second." She noticed the way his gaze seemed to grow challenging, as if his natural intimidation had normally seemed to get him what he wanted in social interaction. Rather than it stopping her this time, it drove her, a certain ambition coming alight from the challenge, "Pay attention to your body, and don't overdo it. I won't hesitate to take the necessary measures should it come to affecting your health."

He subtly scoffed, a tad less rude and seeming more reflexive than anything. Regardless, he carried into it, stepping back from her whilst shoving his hands back into his pockets, "It's not my first time playing basketball - I'm pretty sure I can look out for myself."

Her expression fell flat a hefty huff coming out of a near-pout-like lip upturn, "For your sake, let's hope that's true." Watching him go, she found herself in the beginnings of a glare, which only faltered as she watched him reach a hand out of his pocket and smack the top of the door frame on the way out. For some reason that was the trigger for infuriating her.

_'WHY DOES EVERY 'TALL' HIGH SCHOOL BOY FEEL THE NEED TO DO THAT?!' _She thought - it was truly stressing her out, and she couldn't even place as to why. It was like he was some sort of overgrown child! Stubborn and ridiculously prideful. She did so hate when things like that managed to dig under her skin.

"As long as that competitive attitude of his doesn't go encouraging the others to push themselves to hard." She grumbled to herself, proceeding to furiously add a couple of notes to her planner.

It hadn't even started yet... and the season was shaping up to be an exhausting one.

**A/N: Poor girl. She honestly doesn't deserve this. Also, do you ever stop to think how many injuries are actually in Kuroko no Basket with the inclusion of the minor ones (like 'Koganei's light concussion'?). Honestly, Seirin alone chalks up quite a lot. I knew there were a few, to which I knew Esashi would already have a pretty decent basis, but there are actually SO many that I didn't even know existed before looking into them. **

**Anyway! Thank you for reading!**

**P.S.: Considering I'll be uploading the holiday Oneshots this week, I'll be changing the poll on my profile. While not yet for Kuroko no Basket, I'm going to be uploading a Naruto one right now to see who I should write for next. I'll alternate these around for all the fandoms I currently write for. **

**I'll let you all know when it's Kuroko no Basket's turn, so if you're interested in sharing your vote, keep an eye out for it. **

**Thank you!**


	3. Chapter 3: Injury - What Did You Do?

"Haaah..." Esashi allowed the softest sigh to escape her lips. She gently withdrew from the boy that she was currently existing, taking another once over to confirm his condition. She looked down into her small notebook, then set it aside atop her desk, quietly beginning, "I'm nervous to ask how this even happened..." She pressed her nail gently into the gauze she held, finishing up by packaging the bag of ice within it to keep some of the cold at bay in this makeshift ice pouch

"I stepped out of bounds a little too fast, I think," The boy sputtered a bit anyhow, a slight awkward shift accompanying his admittance. It was a little embarrassing to come in with a sports injury that's more so just because of slipping or losing balance. His lips closed, forming his mouth into a cat-like shape, "I stumbled and before I knew it, I was falling." No one really tried to save him either, to be honest, but he would leave that part out; besides, he was sure that if any of them had seen it coming he probably could have even saved himself.

"Thanks for sparing me the need to ask," She quietly added, though however exasperated, it was at least genuine. She lightly brushed his bangs aside once more, then took a quick look around the side of his head too. She didn't press too hard, nor touch anywhere she felt may have been unwise or painful, but she did at least do one last survey.

"It was just a light concussion," She affirmed, stepping back and away when handing over the ice pouch she fashioned, "but there's still a liiiittle bit of swelling, so make sure to ice it."

He accepted the ice pack, quickly raising it up to ice the back of his head carefully as not to prompt the same sting or soreness he got from when he hit the floor so roughly. As he let himself up, he peered over to the nurse's assistant, watching as she raised her finger, prompting, whilst her other hand lied against the crook of her hip.

"20 minutes on?" She started, waiting for his response, which came in the chipper answer of, "20 minutes off!"

She refrained from responding with something akin to 'good boy' as she almost felt herself reflexively say, and instead cut it short at, "Good!" That would have been a little mortifying, not to mention a touch disrespectful to an apparent second year, but his somewhat goofy countenance make him surprisingly likened to a child of sorts; she couldn't really help it.

He headed towards the door, loosing an eager and grateful, "Thank you!" in passing.

"No problem," Esashi sat down in the chair affront her little desk, notebook in hand, "Feel free to come back any time."

Once the door finally closed, she eased into the back of her chair, and immediately she could feel the tension began to drain from her body. That was far less concern-provoking than she thought it would be. Considering the day before, that darn rugby team had come up with bruises and grass-stained scrapes, or that not too long before she was fixing a few students that had gotten absolutely massacred trying to get their hands on some kind of sandwich, this was mild by comparison. Still, it hadn't been too long, and she was already losing her luster in the realm of relaxation. She was so tense, it was crazy, and whenever that door opened she expected something admittedly outlandish.

_'This time, there wasn't even anything to point fingers at... just his own clumsiness, and these things happen.' _She slowly closed her eyes for the moment and tilted her head back against the back of the chair. She found herself being quite impressed too. Even since before the season had started, it seemed the basketball club was taking her first visit seriously.

Every time there was some sort of injury, the members were sent there promptly. She was grateful for that, and while she wished there would be maybe just a few less injuries... she couldn't ignore that this was progress.

Interrupting her from her momentary rest, came the sound of a knock on the door. It was somewhat rough, and maybe a touch heavy, forcing her to sit up straighter and more attentively. Oh boy, it was probably rugby again... or maybe American football. "Come in," She quickly offered, flipping her notebook back open to the back and clicking her pen out for use.

As the door opened, she peered up, being greeted with a line of sight yielding nothing but abdomen. Sloooowly, she tilted her head back, peering up as she immediately recognized the face of that basketball boy - Kagami, it was.

"Hey."

Her brows slowly knit together, her raspberry hues narrowing slightly. That was... different. Maybe it was her imagination, but something already seemed ... .subdued. "Kagami-san, right? What can I help you..." The words faded into silence as he let himself in, this time not because of the intimidation that came with his height, nor the seemingly permanent scowl kept on his face; it was because there was a clear uneven tilt with the way that he walked.

"Your leg betrayed you, after all?" She offered instead, seeing the way he favored it as he sat down.

"Mmn..." There was a disgruntled mutter of something incoherent, but while very carefully easing his body back onto the cushion, he spoke, "I think it's just a a little strain."

"Well..." She trailed, bending down, "That isn't really for you to figure out..." She carefully took the base of his calf, her other hand resting underneath his knee as he lifted it up onto the table. Even the tender way that she handled it caused a wince from him. _'That isn't good...' _

"A strain may not be minor either - if you're not careful, it can lead to a tear, and I know that's nothing you want."

Much to her surprise, he didn't respond. She was expecting some sort of hot tempered response, or bitter retort like she was sure he would have done last time, but instead there was a subtle glimmer of understanding that resonated with his quiet. Surprise surprise - he was actually listening. She may have had a less than fond memory of how they clashed the last time around, but she would hardly let her personal disdain get in the way of how she handled him medically. That would be unprofessional.

Her fingers gently searched his skin, looking for any inflammation or watching him for signs of pain. She carefully but quietly responded in a serious tone, "What led to this?"

_'Damn.' _Wishful thinking, but he was hoping she wouldn't ask. With the way this girl had Riko scattering, he was sure that telling the truth would cause their feud to kickstart again. Regardless, in his hesitance, he teetered the words around in his head. He wasn't too good at speaking, even if he'd never say something like that outright, but... "We had to play two games in one day," He searched for the right words, and for a second lying even came to mind, but when he looked down, her faded pink eyes seemed to be staring straight through him with an intensity that dared him to try it.

A bead of sweat began down his cheek - why the Hell was she so threatening? It kicked his self-preservation up into overdrive. "C-Coach tried to make me hang back and I wouldn't listen." Did... did he just stutter-?

"I meant the specifics to your leg... .but I guess it was no surprise that overexertion was a factor," She sighed heftily, expression leaning more to the plain side.

"Hn..." He dragged, diverting his eyes elsewhere as he searched for what to say. After a subtle pause, he added, "Jumping too much."

Out of context... well, no, even in context, that sounded a little... odd. She understood that jumping was a consistent part of basketball, but what kind of direct pressure would have had to be put on him for it to lead to injury..? He would have had to have been jumping to a ridiculous degree, or a ridiculous amount and...

_"There is no problem as far as I know," He shot, "I played damn good. I jumped pretty high, she said, thinks I should get your opinion before I go too far in practice." _

His statement from his previous visit immediately came to her mind. It didn't serve to make anything more clear- in fact it only served to add more questions to the mix. So he jumped really high? The injury seemed pretty straightforward, but the cause left so much up to interpretation.

She rubbed her finger against the outside of her ear thoughtfully. She didn't know _too_ much about basketball, that was true, but...

"Well..." She began again, reaching into the nearby drawer to grip the bandages, "I recommend wrapping it, icing it, elevating it, and more importantly, staying off of it." She began unwinding the bandages, twining them loosely around her hand, "There's no way you should be practicing like that, but I'm pretty sure you already kne-"

"What!?" He sputtered, as if actually surprised by this. He leaned forward, hands pressed firmly against the cushion of the medical bed as he leaned forward to look incredulously. "For how long!?"

Her head swiveled to face him in surprise, frown beginning whilst she returned his outburst with a stern gaze. "Muscle strains can need a week to heal at minimum. It isn't something to be taken lightly. Did you really think you would be back on your feet by today?"

"I don't _have_ weeks!" He contested, though one thing she could properly allocate is that despite his hotheadedness, this seemed less like an angered outburst and more like desperation. It was almost like he was aggressively pleading with her verdict, "I can't just sit on the bench."

"If you don't think you can sit by and watch, my best advice is to not be on the bench," She retorted stiffly, "There isn't any way you'll be playing at full capacity in less than the proper healing time, and if you try, you'll just be over-extending it. Do you get that?" She pressed her hand against her chest, sharpening her gaze in certain disapproval, "Arguing with me won't change anything - and if you choose to ignore me, it'll be your body you're arguing against."

He sucked in a breath, strangling his arguments behind clenched teeth and gradually quelling his arguments into quiet. There was silence as she began wrapping his wounds, and the undeniable heat of his rage petering out before he finally choked out, "Sorry."

"Huh..?" Esashi let slip out of surprise, her eyes widening slightly as she parted her stare from his leg. She... he... not only did he give up, but he apologized..? That was the last thing she was expecting out of today... "... I know you're frustrated." She softly started - her first display of outright sympathy towards the male on account of him swallowing his pride. "I also know you want to do your best, but this isn't your last year, you know. No sense in risking everything for now."

He didn't respond, and truly she didn't expect him to. He looked hurt, and sometimes a response of silence just meant that there was more going on upstairs. She finished up quickly, offering him ice, this time without a little pouch, as she figured the bandages would insulate against too harsh a cold on their own. "Be safe, and remember what I said."

"Yeah," He dejectedly confirmed, taking the ice and easing carefully as not to agitate his leg. At least he was listening... still, she couldn't help but feel bad for him. Having to watch everyone perform without him was probably torture for someone so determined.

She turned and retrieved her notebook from the tabletop, scribbling in this latest check in. She would have to inform of the nurse of this one, so that she could confirm everything went as it should have, but also so that the nurse could do any follow-up checks or care of contact parents if necessary. Esashi, this time, more unceremoniously flopped down into her chair.

"I'll have to talk to their coach too," She thoughtfully said under her breath. She probably wouldn't want to hear it but... as mature as he was about this, she just couldn't trust that the boy would follow through on all of the necessary healing... The temptation would possibly be too much, or maybe he just played attentive so that she wouldn't decide to double back and clarify things with the coach. What a pain that she had to trail behind him like this, and she had to say she typically didn't believe as much in gut-feelings, but this one was so strong that it seemed to undoubtedly be a demand on behalf of the universe.

"That's settled then. I'll finish up here, check in with the nurse, then clear things with Aida-san," She firmly decided, and set to do just that.

Overall, it took, maybe a little less than an hour, so practice was probably in full swing right about now. Hopefully she would be able to catch them if they were nearing a break or so. She tucked her notebook against her chest as per usual, turning quickly towards the door whilst slipping one of the extra keys to the office around her finger. "I'll just pop in, make sure everything's understood, then I'll be able to have some time for a bite to eat and-"

Just as she pulled the door open to head out, she was met with a block. Instinct prompted her to step back a bit quickly, and beginning at the quivering, near-throbbing leg she saw, her eyes traced up, noting the familiar practice clothing then the face of Kagami that appeared very clearly searing with the intent to mask a visible pain.

By the time her gaze made it there, it was an understatement to say that she was livid; no, she was far past that. She could feel her body practically warming with rage that poured out through her face under the contrasting appearance of a cold, freezing glare.

"What... did you... do..?"

* * *

**A/N: Hello Hellooooo! Just letting you know that this story isnt canceled :') ! 2020 has been one Hell of a year, but thankfully as it starts coming to a close, it's beginning to lighten up on me. I'm back to updating and posting, and hopefully it'll be regularly again. **

**Thank you for all the support on this story, and I hope that all of you that may be still reading will be able to get back to reading in a timely manner again!**

**_PS. My Deviantart is Songcall (you may recognize it as another Fanfiction writer, since I'm no longer shameless with my shipping u_u), but there are a LOT of uploads I've made for Kuroko no Basuke OC designs and many of them give sneak peeks into what I'm going to be writing here for the most part for other characters. _**

**_So check that out if you want to! Also, thank you again to all of you reading for the first time or that have stuck around! I appreciate you a lot, and you help to keep me motivated and moving forward. _**


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